Wipro, India's third-largest software exporter, and Megasoft Consultants, are barred from working for the World Bank, the institution said, less than three weeks after it disclosed Satyam Computer Services was banned.

The efforts announced follow cost-reduction measures ON Semi began taking in 4Q 2008, including the reduction of 2009 planned capital expenditures to $50 million to $60 million from normalized yearly levels of $130 million to $140 million, temporary site shutdowns during the quarter, a hiring freeze, the elimination of second half 2008 bonus payments, and strict controls over all discretionary spending.

ASM International (ASMI) today announced it will cut 200 jobs as it shifts some manufacturing and operational procurement activities from the Netherlands to Singapore. The changes will take place over the next 12 months and involve the transfer of the remaining manufacturing and operational procurement activities for ASMI's vertical furnace product line from Almere, the Netherlands, to the company's front-end manufacturing operations in Singapore (FEMS).

Two search requests on the internet website Google produce as much carbon dioxide as boiling a kettle, according to a Harvard University academic.

Though 2009 looks just as grim as 2008, organizers of the Consumer Electronics Show last week forecast a few rays of sunshine. The Consumer Electronics Assn. projected growth in organic LED displays, digital book readers, Blu-ray disc players and lightweight laptops called netbooks. Despite a projected 0.3% decline in overall consumer spending in 2009, the trade group said, people will continue to earmark a large chunk of their income for technology.

The plasma screen television is poised to become the next victim of the battle to curb energy use. Giant energy-guzzling flatscreens are expected to be banned under legislation due to be agreed by the EU this spring.

LG Electronics is aiming for 16% overall market share in flat panel TVs and sales of more than 21 million TVs in 2009. By category, the company plans to sell 18 million LCD TVs, giving it 15% market share, and 3 million plasma TVs, for 19% of the market.

LG Display said it had signed a deal to supply LCD panels to Apple for five years. The world's second-biggest maker of LCD screens did not disclose the total size of the deal but said in a filing to the Korea Exchange that it would receive a US$500 million advance from Apple this month.

More than half a million Americans lost their jobs in December, making 2008 the worst year for US employment since World War Two, while Europe's woes mounted as output from its factories plunged.

The Cambridge-based company was already eight years old when on Jan. 6 1999 EE Times reported ARM's own prediction that the company would have 70 percent of the market for processors in the mobile phone handset business. This was a statistic that came to define ARM's early success.

Shares in Palm surged over 36% on Friday after its new touch-screen phone and mobile operating system impressed analysts and short sellers rushed to cover their positions, giving investors hope it may win customers from rivals such as Apple.

History has shown that crisis breeds opportunity. Business leaders may have to cut costs to survive 2009, but the smart ones are also out there looking for prospects. If you have to cut costs, start at the top. If you can't give staff more money, look for ways to give them more power. In addition, innovating now can leave you nicely situated for a turnaround. For those who are willing to take some risks, 2009 can be a time of great possibilities.

As the economy heads deeper into a recessionary abyss, business tax cut ideas that seemed to be nonstarters just a few short months ago are suddenly back on the table. Take the incoming Obama Administration's embrace of a measure that would lengthen the period for money-losing companies to write off net operating losses against profits from the current two years to four or five years.

Ulrich Schumacher, former Chief Executive Officer of Infineon Technologies AG, has been charged in a bribery case, the Munich Public Prosecutor said.

The SD Association unveiled a new SD card specification this week at the 2009 International CES that it said can support data storage capacities of up to 2TB with read/write speeds up to 104MB/sec. The specification, called SDXC (eXtended Capacity), uses Microsoft's exFAT file system to support the large capacity and interoperability in a broad range of PCs, consumer electronics and mobile phones.

Micron Technology has announced that the US District Court of Delaware has found that patents Rambus had asserted against Micron are unenforceable. The Delaware Court found that “the spoliation conduct was extensive, including within its scope the destruction of innumerable documents relating to all aspects of Rambus’ business.”

One Laptop Per Child - the non-profit organisation aiming to give kids in the developing world their own laptops - is laying off half its staff and cutting salaries for those who are keeping their jobs.

Elpida Memory announced that it has completed the early redemption of the outstanding unsecured convertible bonds (CBs) worth 44 billion yen (US$1.33 billion).

ARC International has warned of lower than expected revenues from semiconductor IP licensing at the end of 2008. "For 2009, management continues to remain cautious due to continuing uncertainty in the economic environment and fundamental industry changes," said the semiconductor IP developer.

Unlike the SEMI Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Subscription (WWSEMS) data, the World Fab Forecast and its related Fab Database reports track any equipment needed to ramp the fab, upgrade, expand, or change its wafer size regardless if it is new equipment, used equipment, or transferred equipment, while WWSEMS tracks only new equipment.

Palm executives say the touch-screen device and the new operating system inside it, WebOS, break new ground in the fiercely competitive smartphone market. The phone's selling points include an emphasis on fast Web browsing and efficient multitasking.

"We have ramped down the N810 WiMax Edition tablet. It has reached the end of its lifecycle," said a Nokia spokesman. Nokia unveiled the model only nine months ago, while usually even the most trendy models have a shelf life of well over a year.

Nearly a dozen retailers, including Macy's and Target Corp, told investors that profits would take a further hit in the fourth quarter, which includes key holiday sales. The results confirmed that the U.S. recession, job losses and winter storms right before Christmas produced the most dismal holiday shopping season in nearly 40 years.

US President-elect Barack Obama wants to delay next month's nationwide switch to digital television service because of "major problems" for consumers.

Responding to the IC downturn, Microchip Technology has lowered its forecast, taken pay cuts and reduced its IC production rates. "General economic and semiconductor industry conditions have continued to decline since our October earnings call," said Steve Sanghi, Microchip's president and CEO, in a statement. "As a result of these conditions, we are continuing with a pay cut for all of our worldwide non-manufacturing employees which was implemented during the December quarter."

The SD Association has announced the next-generation SDXC (eXtended Capacity) memory card specification which will provide up to 2TB storage capacity and accelerate SD interface read/write speeds to 104MB/s this year, with a road map to 300MB/s. Specifications for the new SDXC standard will be released in the first quarter of 2009.